consistency is key

I’m not a huge fan of New Years’ resolutions, especially the ones that begin, "Stop…[insert "bad" habit here]."  I don’t respond well to negatives, especially restrictions.  But I am ALL about doing things, and I’ve found I’m more inclined to be successful if I give myself something constructive to do, to strive for, to accomplish.  

I am also a compulsive list-maker.  Any given day, I’ve got a list longer than I could ever hope to finish in 24 hours.  Sometimes it’s frustrating, because I really “need” to get all of those things done… yesterday!  Most of the time, I'm realistic enough to know that I won’t get to all of it, but making the list is my best bet to make sure things actually happen at some point.  I’ve made peace with the fact that I’ll probably be working off of Monday’s list when Friday rolls around, and I still won’t finish all of it.  

Looking forward to 2013, I’m making myself yet another list.  Not a list of resolutions, but a list of goals.  Things I plan to do, to strive for, to accomplish.  It’s a fairly long list, and I’m not even done yet.  Some things will just take a few minutes on the right day, others will take some further research and maybe months to accomplish.  I’m not sure if I’ll finish the whole list, but I’m definitely going to try.   

The thing I haven’t decided on yet is the one thing I’ll be doing every day next year.  Last year it was walking at least a mile every day.  It seemed like a small thing, and I really had no idea where doing that one small thing would take me, but it turns out, it was huge.  I realised the significance of committing to doing something every single day, no exceptions, no excuses.  I had no expectations about what I hoped to gain, just the satisfaction of doing it, nothing more.  

What I learned is that there is power in consistency.  Every day might not be magic.  Every day might not be your personal best.  Some days you might not be feeling it.  But you keep showing up, day after day, no matter what obstacles life throws your way.  You start every day with a plan.  If you get thrown off track, you improvise as needed, but you never quit.  You find a way.  Every day you’re one step closer to your goal, even if it’s only a small step.  And every day you honor that commitment you made to yourself, you’re even more likely to follow through with it the next day. 

How about you?  Do you make resolutions or lists?  Is there something you'll commit to doing every day of 2013?  If it’s fitness-related, awesome.  But honestly, ANYthing you can commit to doing every day will bring benefits that will impact every area of your life in some way.  Be realistic, keep it simple.  Choose something that you KNOW you can accomplish, because the consistency will be the challenge, not the act itself.  Let’s face it, almost anyone can walk a mile.  But doing it every single day for a year, that’s where commitment kicks in.  If you can’t think of anything else, how about walking a mile?  

You can do it, believe me!